Archer on his Test future, injury hell and ‘letting everyone down’ at the Ashes

Jofra Archer has been out of action with an elbow injury and recently underwent surgery for the second time

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England quick Jofra Archer has said he “absolutely” wants to continue playing Test cricket when he finally makes his return from injury.

Archer has not represented England since March due to an elbow problem and has been forced to undergo two operations.

The injury forced Archer to miss both the T20 World Cup and the Ashes and the 26-year-old has opened up about his struggles in an emotional interview, admitting that missing those two events were “the hardest two pills I’ve had to swallow”.

Archer is currently training with England’s T20I squad in his native Barbados and, although he is still a way off making his return, it is great to see him getting back in the groove.

“I wasn’t really missing cricket until the guys got here, to be honest,” he told the Daily Mail. “But it feels good to be back in the routine.

“For a while, until I started bowling again, I felt like, ‘I can’t do this.’ But them coming out here has happened at the right time for me.

“With the Test team coming next month it will allow me to train with higher intensity as well. I couldn’t have written the script. Everything’s happened just for me, I reckon. That’s how it feels.

“The hardest two pills I’ve had to swallow were not playing in the Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes but other than that everything has been so good since.”

Former England captain Michael Atherton cast doubt on Archer’s Test future last month, describing his injury problems as “extremely concerning”.

However, when asked if he remains intent on playing Test cricket again, Archer made his ambitions clear.

“Yes, absolutely,” he said. “Watching the Ashes, I felt like I had let everyone down a little bit, when you see fast bowlers taking 90 per cent of the wickets — but you don’t get injured on purpose.

“Of course, I want to be part of making this England team a success, but this past year has taught me that you can plan all you want, then something happens to change everything.’